Young grasshoppers, like this Melanoplus sp.* look just like miniature adults, except that they have no wings. They do have the disproportionate femurs that characterize the group and make long jumps possible. In various places grasshoppers are considered among the worst agricultural pests. In our back yard they're a colorful visitor that eats the weeds and feeds the birds.

Comments

Yes, but they re not homologous femurs they are analogous--meaning that they evolved independently from vertebrate femurs, we just use the same word because the perform similar functions (the big part of the leg that attaches to the body).